Side air bag device

ABSTRACT

A side air bag device is described which is disposed in a space between a vehicle body and a back seat and for which rigidity of attachment to a vehicle body member is improved. The side air bag device provided between a vehicle body and a back seat includes: a base member including a base storage configured to store an air bag and an inflator and a base attachment portion attached to the vehicle body; and a retainer member configured to hold the base storage from a vehicle back side. The retainer member extends from a portion holding the base storage while being bent along the shape of the vehicle body. The retainer member is attached to the vehicle body together with the base attachment portion while being overlapped with the base attachment portion.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/325,909, filed on Jan. 12, 2017, which is a National Stage Entryapplication of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2015/070087, filed Jul. 13,2015, which claims the priority benefit of Japanese Patent ApplicationNo. JP2014-144488, filed Jul. 14, 2014, the contents of all beingincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

The present disclosure relates to a side air bag device configured toabsorb impact applied from a vehicle lateral side, and particularlyrelates to a side air bag device disposed between a vehicle body and aback seat.

Conventionally, a device including an inflator configured to inject gasinto an air bag, a storage box provided with an opening on a vehiclefront side and configured to store the air bag and the inflator, and aresin base cover configured to cover the storage box from the vehiclefront side has been known as a side air bag device disposed between avehicle body door and a back seat in a vehicle width direction (see,e.g., Japanese Patent Publication JP 2009-040328A).

In the side air bag device described in Japanese Patent Publication JP2009-040328A, when the air bag stored in the resin storage box isexpanded by the inflator, the air bag breaks a thin portion of the resinbase cover on the vehicle front side and therefore expands and deploys.Specifically, a vehicle battery provided on a vehicle body and theinflator are connected together via a harness. When an impact equal toor greater than a predetermined value is applied from a vehicle lateralside, an impact sensor (not shown) detects such impact, and ignitionelectric power is supplied to the inflator. Then, the air bag expandsand deploys at the side of a seated passenger. In this case, the air bagand the inflator are stored in the storage box with these componentsbeing held by a metal retainer. Thus, retention of the air bag and theinflator can be ensured, and the air bag can be guided in an expansionand deployment direction.

In the side air bag device of Japanese Patent Publication JP2009-040328A, the above-described resin base cover is disposed andfitted into a space between the vehicle body and the back seat, and thebase cover is typically fixed with upper and lower end portions thereofbeing assembled with a vehicle body member. However, in driving of avehicle, e.g., vibrations of the vehicle body and impacts received froma seated passenger are transmitted to the side air bag device. Thus, forstable attachment of the side air bag device on the vehicle body, designneeds to be made to improve rigidity of attachment between the resinbase cover and the vehicle body member. Particularly in the case of theside air bag device disposed in the space between the vehicle body andthe back seat, the process of attaching components in a narrow spaceneeds to be performed, and for this reason, design needs to be made toutilize existing components to ensure attachment rigidity of the sideair bag device.

Moreover, in the side air bag device of Japanese Patent Publication JP2009-040328A, the inflator is stored in the storage box on a vehicleback side of the base cover, and therefore, the harness extends in arelatively-complicated pattern from the vehicle battery toward theinflator stored in the storage box. However, in the above-described sideair bag device, no arrangement is made to support the harness on thebase cover and the storage box as components of the side air bag device.Therefore, when the harness freely moves around, for example, undervibrations received from the seated passenger and vibrations of thevehicle body, the harness may come into contact with the air bag at thetime of expansion and deployment, therefore affecting the deployment ofthe air bag. Moreover, in driving of the vehicle, the harness may becaught by other components, leading to deformation of the harness.Particularly in the case of the side air bag device disposed in thespace between the vehicle body and the back seat, the process ofattaching the components in the narrow space needs to be performed, andfor this reason, the harness needs to be compactly disposed.

Further, in the side air bag device of Japanese Patent Publication JP2009-040328A, when the inflator operates to expand the air bag, a largegas pressure of the inflator allowing the air bag to expand is loaded tothe storage box, and as a result, the storage box deforms. This mayaffect the expansion direction of the air bag. Therefore, the techniqueof improving, at the time of expansion and deployment of the air bag,rigidity of the periphery of the storage box storing the air bag and theinflator has been demanded. Particularly in the above-described priorart, the storage box of the side air bag device is made of metal forstrength improvement, but on the other hand, it has been desired to makethe storage box from resin for the purpose of weight reduction. Thus,even if the material of the storage box is changed to resin, thetechnique of reducing deformation of the storage box at the time ofexpansion and deployment of the air bag has been desired.

In addition, since the side air bag device of Japanese PatentPublication JP 2009-040328A is assembled and fitted into a space betweenthe vehicle body door and the back seat, e.g., vibration of the vehiclebody and impact received from the seated passenger are transmitted tothe side air bag device in driving of the vehicle. Thus, a design isdesired that reduces contact noise between the vehicle body and the sideair bag device.

SUMMARY

The present disclosure has been made in view of the foregoing problems,and describes various embodiments of a side air bag device which isdisposed in a space between a vehicle body and a back seat and for whichrigidity of attachment to a vehicle body member is improved. Moreover,the present disclosure further describes embodiments of a side air bagdevice for which existing components are utilized to ensure rigidity ofattachment to a vehicle body member. In addition, the present disclosurestill further describes an embodiment of a side air bag device which cansuitably support a harness on components. Moreover, the presentdisclosure still further describes an embodiment of a side air bagdevice disposed in a space between a vehicle body and a back seat suchthat a harness is compactly disposed. In addition, the presentdisclosure still further describes an embodiment of a side air bagdevice which can reduce deformation of the periphery of a storage boxstoring an air bag and an inflator and stabilizing an expansiondirection of the air bag. Further, the present disclosure still furtherdescribes an embodiment of a side air bag device which can reduce, indriving of a vehicle, contact noises between a vehicle body and the sideair bag device.

According to an embodiment of the side air bag device of the presentdisclosure, the above-described problems are solved by a side air bagdevice provided between a vehicle body and a back seat, the side air bagdevice including: an expandable air bag; an inflator configured tosupply gas into the air bag a base member including a base storageconfigured to store the air bag in a folded state and the inflator and abase attachment portion attached to the vehicle body, the base memberbeing attached between a vehicle body door and the back seat; and aretainer member configured to hold the base storage from a vehicle backside. The retainer member extends from a portion holding the basestorage toward the base attachment portion, and the retainer member isattached to the vehicle body together with the base attachment portionwhile being overlapped with the base attachment portion.

With the above-described configuration, the base attachment portion ofthe base member, serving as a base plate of the side air bag device, isattached to the vehicle body together with the retainer member whilebeing overlapped with the relatively-high rigidity retainer member.Thus, rigidity of attachment of the side air bag device to a vehiclebody member is improved. Moreover, with the above-describedconfiguration, the retainer member as an existing component can beutilized to ensure rigidity of attachment of the side air bag device tothe vehicle body member.

In the above-described state, a portion of the retainer memberoverlapped with the base member may extend from the base attachmentportion toward the base storage. With the above-described configuration,the portion where the retainer member and the base member overlap eachother is large, and therefore, rigidity of attachment of the side airbag device to the vehicle body member is further improved.

In the above-described state, the retainer member may be provided with adeflecting portion bent along the shape of the vehicle body, thedeflecting portion being formed between an upper end portion holding thebase storage and a lower end portion overlapped with the base attachmentportion. With the above-described configuration, the side air bag devicecan be attached along the shape of the vehicle body. As a result,contact among these components can be inhibited, therefore increasingsupport rigidity.

In the above-described state, the base storage and the retainer membermay respectively include holes communicating with each other in a statewhere the base storage and the retainer member are assembled to eachother. An assembled portion for assembly of the inflator to the basestorage and the retainer member may be provided at a portion of theinflator which faces the holes. An assembly member may be assembled tothe assembled portion from an opposite side of the retainer hole fromthe base hole. With the above-described configuration, the inflator is,at a time, assembled to the base storage and the retainer member by theassembly member from the opposite side of the retainer member relativeto the inflator. Thus, attachment rigidity of the inflator and the airbag is improved, and the attachment process is facilitated.

In the above-described state, a peripheral edge portion of the retainerhole of the retainer member may be provided with a fitting recess whichis formed recessed toward the inflator and into which the assemblymember is fitted. With the above-described configuration, the inflatorcan be compactly assembled to the base storage and the retainer memberwithout protrusion of the assembly member. Moreover, the assembly membercan be assembled into the relatively-high rigidity fitting recess.

In the above-described state, the fitting recess of the retainer membermay be narrowed in a tapered shape from an opening toward a bottomportion. With the above-described configuration, the assembly member iseasily assembled into the fitting recess, and the center of the assemblymember is easily aligned with the center of the fitting recess.

In the above-described state, the retainer member may be assembled withthe base member such that the fitting recess is fitted into the basehole. With the above-described configuration, assembly rigidity of thebase member and the retainer member is improved.

In the above-described state, the assembled portion of the inflator mayinclude an assembly shaft protruding toward the retainer member. Theretainer member may include: a back wall portion disposed on the vehicleback side of the base storage; and right and left side wall portionsthat extend from both end portions of the back wall portion in a vehiclewidth direction toward a vehicle front side. At least one of the sidewall portions may be provided with the retainer hole and a slit which isa continuous cut from the retainer hole toward the vehicle front sideand into which the assembly shaft is inserted. With the above-describedconfiguration, for example, when the retainer member is assembled to thebase storage from the vehicle back side, contact between the retainermember and the assembly shaft of the inflator exposed from the base holeof the base storage can be inhibited, and the process of assembling theretainer member is facilitated.

In the above-described state, the side air bag device may furtherinclude a skin material configured to cover the base member from thevehicle front side, the base member storing the air bag and theinflator; and a webbing having one end portion attached to the skinmaterial and the other end portion that extend from the one end portionand are locked to a webbing lock portion provided at the base storage,the webbing being configured to guide the air bag in an expansiondirection. A reinforcement portion may be formed on a portion of theretainer member, which holds the webbing lock portion, the reinforcementportion being located on one surface of the retainer member, which is onan opposite side from the other surface of the retainer member to whichthe webbing is attached. With the above-described configuration, supportrigidity of the webbing is improved. Thus, even if a relatively-strongforce is applied to the webbing when the air bag expands and deploys,the air bag can be stably guided without detachment of the webbing.

In the above-described state, the side air bag device may furtherinclude a harness having one end portion connected to the inflator andconfigured to supply ignition electric power to the inflator. Theharness may extend in an up-to-down direction while being supported onthe base member. With the above-described configuration, the side airbag device that enables the harness to be suitably supported on the basemember as a component of the side air bag device. Moreover, the harnessextends in the up-to-down direction while being supported on the basemember. Thus, in the side air bag device disposed in a space between thevehicle body and the back seat, the harness connecting between a vehiclebattery provided below the feet of a seated passenger and the air bagand the inflator arranged at the side of the body of the seatedpassenger can be compactly arranged.

In the above-described state, the harness extending in the up-to-downdirection may be sandwiched between the base storage and the retainermember so as to be supported therebetween. As described above, theharness extending in the up-to-down direction is sandwiched between thebase storage and the retainer member. Thus, the harness can be suitablysupported, and the harness can be inhibited from freely moving forexample, under vibrations received from the seated passenger andvibrations of the vehicle body.

In the above-described state, the base storage may be provided with ahousing recess which is formed recessed toward an opposite side from theretainer member and in which the harness is housed, and the harness maybe supported and surrounded by the housing recess and the retainermember. With the above-described configuration, the harness can besuitably supported and can be compactly arranged.

In the above-described state, a protrusion protruding toward a portionof the vehicle body on the vehicle back side is provided at the retainermember to be located therefrom on the vehicle back side. When the airbag expands and deploys, the protrusion may be disposed in contact withthe portion of the vehicle body. With the above-described configuration,the retainer member for protecting the base storage can be restrictedfrom tilting toward the vehicle back side at the time of expansion anddeployment of the air bag. That is, rigidity of support of the retainermember for the base storage is enhanced. Thus, deformation of theperiphery of the base storage at the time of expansion and deployment ofthe air bag can be reduced, and the air bag can be stably deployed inthe expansion and deployment direction. Moreover, a back surface of theretainer member partially protrudes to contact a portion of the vehiclebody. Thus, a space in a vehicle front-to-back direction can be ensuredat portions other than the protrusion. Further, when the air bag expandsand deploys, the protrusion is disposed to contact a portion of thevehicle body. Thus, in driving of a vehicle, contact noises between thevehicle body and the side air bag device can be reduced.

In the above-described state, the retainer member may include: a backwall portion disposed on the vehicle back side of the base storage; andright and left side wall portions extending from both end portions ofthe back wall portion in a vehicle width direction toward the vehiclefront side. The protrusion may be formed such that at least a portion ofthe back wall portion is recessed toward the vehicle back side. With theabove-described configuration, support rigidity of the retainer membercan be improved with a simple structure, and tilting of the retainermember toward the vehicle back side at the time of expansion anddeployment of the air bag can be restricted.

In the above-described state, the base storage and the retainer membermay respectively include holes into which an assembly shaft provided atthe inflator is inserted, the holes communicating with each other. Anassembly member may be assembled to the assembly shaft from an oppositeside of the holes from the inflator. The assembly shaft may include atleast a first assembly shaft provided on an upper end side of theinflator and a second assembly shaft provided on a lower end side of theinflator. The protrusion may be disposed between an upper end of thefirst assembly shaft and a lower end of the second assembly shaft. Asdescribed above, the protrusion of the retainer member can be disposedbetween the first and second assembly members of the inflator in theup-to-down direction to contact the vehicle body member. Thus, theretainer member can efficiently receive a reactive force generated whenthe air bag expands and deploys toward the vehicle front side.

According to an embodiment, the base attachment portion is attached tothe vehicle body together with the retainer member while beingoverlapped with the relatively-high rigidity retainer member. Thus,rigidity of attachment of the side air bag device to the vehicle bodymember is improved. Moreover, the retainer member as the existingcomponent can be utilized to ensure rigidity of attachment of the sideair bag device to the vehicle body member. According to an embodiment,the portion where the retainer member and the base member overlap eachother is large, and therefore, rigidity of attachment of the side airbag device to the vehicle body member is further improved. According toan embodiment, the side air bag device can be attached along the shapeof the vehicle body. As a result, contact among these components can beinhibited, therefore improving support rigidity. According to anembodiment, attachment rigidity of the inflator and the air bag isimproved, and the attachment process is facilitated.

According to an embodiment, the inflator can be compactly assembled tothe base storage and the retainer member without protrusion of theassembly member. Moreover, the assembly member can be assembled into therelatively-high rigidity fitting recess. According to an embodiment, theassembly member is easily assembled into the fitting recess, and thecenter of the assembly member is easily aligned with the center of thefitting recess. According to an embodiment, assembly rigidity of thebase member and the retainer member is improved. According to anembodiment, for example, when the retainer member is assembled to thebase storage from the vehicle back side, contact between the assemblyshaft of the inflator and the retainer member can be inhibited, and theprocess of assembling the retainer member is facilitated. According toan embodiment, support rigidity of the webbing is improved. Thus, evenif a relatively strong force is applied to the webbing when the air bagexpands and deploys, the air bag can be stably guided without detachmentof the webbing.

According to an embodiment, the harness can be suitably supported on thebase member as the component of the side air bag device. Moreover, theharness can be compactly disposed. According to an embodiment, theharness can be suitably supported, and the harness can be restrictedfrom freely moving, for example, under vibrations received from theseated passenger and vibrations of the vehicle body. According to anembodiment, the harness can be suitably supported and can be compactlyarranged.

According to an embodiment, the retainer member for protecting the basestorage can be restricted from tilting toward the vehicle back side atthe time of expansion and deployment of the air bag. That is,deformation of the periphery of the base storage at the time ofexpansion and deployment of the air bag can be inhibited, and air bagcan stably deploy in the expansion and deployment direction. The spacein the vehicle front-to-back direction can be ensured at portions otherthan the protrusion in the retainer member. Further, in driving of thevehicle, contact noises between the vehicle body and the side air bagdevice can be reduced. According to an embodiment, support rigidity ofthe retainer member can be improved with the simple structure, andtilting of the retainer member toward the vehicle back side at the timeof expansion and deployment of the air bag can be restricted. Accordingto an embodiment, the retainer member can efficiently receive reactiveforce generated when the air bag expands and deploys toward the vehiclefront side.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective drawing illustrating an arrangement of a sideair bag device, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a base member of the side air bag deviceof FIG. 1 as viewed from a front side, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the base member as viewed from a backside, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 4 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an assemblystructure for the base member and a retainer member, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 5 is an exploded perspective view illustrating an assemblystructure for assembly shafts of an inflator and an assembly member of aside air bag device, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view illustrating an arrangement relationshipbetween the retainer member and a vehicle body member, according to anembodiment.

FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the side air bag device along theline A-A of FIG. 1 in the state in which an air bag is stored, accordingto an embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the side air bag device along theline A-A of FIG. 1 in the state in which the air bag is expanded,according to an embodiment.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a second embodiment of the side airbag device along the line A-A of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of a third embodiment of the side airbag device along the line A-A of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of a fourth embodiment of the side airbag device along the line A-A of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of a fifth embodiment of the side airbag device along the line A-A of FIG. 1, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a perspective drawing illustrating a modified example of theretainer member of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 14 is a perspective drawing illustrating another modified exampleof the retainer member of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 15 is a perspective drawing illustrating still another modifiedexample of the retainer member of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 16 is a perspective exploded drawing of another modified example ofthe retainer member of FIG. 5, according to an embodiment.

FIG. 17 is a back view of a modified example of the side air bag device,according to an embodiment.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various embodiments of side air bag devices of the present disclosureare described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 17. The presentdisclosure relates to a side air bag device provided between a vehiclebody and a back seat of a vehicle. The side air bag device includes: abase member including a base storage configured to store an air bag andan inflator and a base attachment portion attached to the vehicle body;and a retainer member configured to hold the base storage from a vehicleback side. The retainer member extends from a portion holding the basestorage while being bent along the shape of the vehicle body. Theretainer member is overlapped with the base attachment portion andattached to the vehicle body together with the base attachment portion.

A side air bag device S of the present embodiment is a device configuredto absorb impact applied from a vehicle lateral side to a seatedpassenger. As illustrated in FIG. 1, the side air bag device S is, in avehicle width direction, disposed between a seat back 1 a as a backrestof a back seat 1 and a vehicle body door 2 a of a vehicle body 2. Notethat the side air bag device S of FIG. 1 is disposed on each of outerright and left sides of the back seat 1 in the vehicle width direction.

As illustrated in FIG. 2, the side air bag device S includes anexpandable air bag 10, an inflator 11 configured to supply gas into theair bag 10, and a base member 20 configured to store the air bag 10 andthe inflator 11 in a folded state. Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 3,the side air bag device S further includes a retainer member 30configured to hold, from a vehicle back side, the air bag 10 and theinflator 11 stored in the base member 20, and a harness 40 connected tothe inflator 11 and configured to supply ignition electric power to theinflator 11. Further, the side air bag device S includes, as illustratedin FIG. 7, a pad member 50 placed at a vehicle-front-side position ofthe base member 20, a skin material 60 configured to cover, from avehicle front side, the base member 20 and the pad member 50, and awebbing 70 having one end portion sewn to the skin material 60 and theother end portion locked to webbing lock portions 27 of the base member20 and configured to guide the air bag 10 in an expansion direction.

The air bag 10 includes a bag-shaped member configured to, when impactis applied from the vehicle lateral side, expand and deploy into aballoon shape, from the folded state of FIG. 7 toward the vehicle frontside as illustrated in FIG. 8. Specifically, gas is supplied into theair bag 10 from the inflator 11 as a gas generation source coupled tothe air bag 10; thereby, the air bag 10 expands. As illustrated in FIG.2, the inflator 11 formed by an elongated substantially-columnar gasgeneration device is disposed elongated in an up-to-down direction. Theinflator 11 includes an air bag coupling portion (not-shown) protrudingtoward the vehicle front side beyond an outer surface of the inflator 11and coupled to the inside of the air bag 10, a harness connectionportion 12 formed at an upper end portion of the inflator 11 andconnected to the harness 40 illustrated in FIG. 3, and assembly shafts13 protruding toward the vehicle lateral side beyond the outer surfaceof the inflator 11 and assembled to the base member 20 and the retainermember 30 as illustrated in FIG. 4.

When impact is applied from the vehicle lateral side in theabove-described configuration, ignition electric power is supplied froma vehicle battery (not-shown) to the inflator 11 via the harness 40, thevehicle battery being disposed below the feet of the seated passenger onthe vehicle body. Then, the air bag 10 expands and deploys at the sideof the seated passenger. The air bag 10 and the inflator 11 are storedin a base storage 24 provided at the base member 20, described below.

The base member 20 includes a resin frame member as a base plate of theside air bag device S. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the base member 20 isconfigured to store the air bag 10 and the inflator 11. The base member20 has a substantially inverted L-shape as viewed from the vehiclelateral side. The base member 20 is, in the vehicle width direction,disposed between the seat back 1 a and the vehicle body door 2 a. Upperand lower end portions of the base member 20 are detachably attached tovehicle members (not-shown), respectively. As illustrated in FIG. 2 or3, the base member 20 generally includes a base body 21 disposed betweenthe back seat 1 and the vehicle body 2, and base outer and inner wallportions 22, 23 that extend from both end portions of the base body 21in the vehicle width direction toward the vehicle back side.

The base body 21 includes a plate-shaped member in a substantiallyinverted L-shape. The base body 21 includes, as components thereof, thebase storage 24 integrally formed slightly closer to a vehicle outerside with respect to a center portion of the base body 21 in the vehiclewidth direction and recessed toward the vehicle back side, and a baseattachment portion 21 a integrally formed lower than the base storage24, extending downward from the base body 21, and attached to a vehiclebody member (not-shown). Note that another base attachment portionattachable to a vehicle body member is integrally formed at an upper endportion of the base body 21.

The base outer wall portion 22 formed by a substantially rectangularplate-shaped member is disposed facing the vehicle body door 2 a. At anextending end portion of the base outer wall portion 22, a plurality oflock claws 22 a configured to lock one end portion of the skin material60 are integrally formed with a predetermined spacing in the up-to-downdirection. Similarly, the base inner wall portion 23 formed by asubstantially rectangular plate-shaped member is disposed facing theseat back 1 a of the back seat 1. At an extending end portion of thebase inner wall portion 23, an insertion groove 23 a into which theother end portion of the skin material 60 is to be inserted isintegrally formed elongated in the up-to-down direction. The width ofthe base outer wall portion 22 in a vehicle front-to-back direction isformed to be smaller than that of the base inner wall portion 23.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3, the base storage 24 is formed by avertically-elongated box provided with an opening on the vehicle frontside and has a substantially convex internal space. The air bag 10 andthe inflator 11 are detachably stored in a bottom portion of theinternal space of the base storage 24. The base storage 24 includes aback wall portion 24 a disposed on the vehicle back side of the air bag10 and the inflator 11, outer and inner wall portions 24 b, 24 c thatextend toward the vehicle front side from both end portions of the backwall portion 24 a in the vehicle width direction and disposedrespectively on the vehicle outer side in the vehicle width directionand on a vehicle inner side. An upper wall portion of the base storage24 at an upper end thereof is provided with an opening such that theupper end portion of the inflator 11 is exposed through the opening.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, a cut portion 25 which can support a portionof the harness 40 is provided at a portion of the outer wall portion 24b so as to face the harness connection portion 12 of the inflator 11. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the inner wall portion 24 c includes two webbinglock portions 27 which protrude with a predetermined spacing in theup-to-down direction and which can lock the other end portion of thewebbing 70, base holes 28 which are arranged between the two webbinglock portions 27 and into which the assembly shafts 13 of the inflator11 can be respectively inserted, and slits 28 a which are continuouscuts from the base holes 28 toward the vehicle front side and into whichthe assembly shafts 13 can be respectively inserted. Note that theassembly shaft 13 is equivalent to an assembled portion of an inflator,which is for assembling the inflator to the base storage 24 and theretainer member 30.

As illustrated in FIG. 2 or 3, the base attachment portion 21 a extendsdownward from the base body 21, and such an extending end portion of thebase attachment portion 21 a is attached to the vehicle body member.Specifically, the base attachment portion 21 a has a deflecting shapeobtained by bending the base attachment portion 21 a along a vehiclebody shape on the vehicle back side, and the extending end portion ofthe base attachment portion 21 a is provided with a bolt fastening holefor the vehicle body member. The base member 20 and the vehicle bodymember are attached to each other by bolt fastening.

The retainer member 30 includes a metal holding member configured tohold the air bag 10 and the inflator 11 from the vehicle back side, andas illustrated in FIG. 3, the retainer member 30 is attached to the basestorage 24 from the vehicle back side. The retainer member 30 has asubstantially U-shape in cross section. The retainer member 30 includesa back wall portion 30 a disposed on the vehicle back side of the basestorage 24, and outer and inner wall portions 30 b, 30 c that extendtoward the vehicle front side from both end portions of the back wallportion 30 a in the vehicle width direction and disposed respectively onthe vehicle outer and inner sides. The outer wall portion 30 b and theinner wall portion 30 c are disposed along the outer wall portion 24 band the inner wall portion 24 c, respectively, of the base storage 24.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the back wall portion 30 a of the retainermember 30 extends downward from a portion holding the base storage 24toward the base attachment portion 21 a. The back wall portion 30 a isattached to the vehicle body member (not-shown) together with the baseattachment portion 21 a in a state where a portion of the back wallportion 30 a is overlapped with a back surface of the base attachmentportion 21 a. The downwardly-extending portion of the back wall portion30 a has a deflecting shape (a deflecting portion) obtained by bendingthe back wall portion 30 a along the base attachment portion 21 a on thevehicle front side and along the vehicle body shape on the vehicle backside. Specifically, the downwardly-extending portion of the back wallportion 30 a has the deflecting shape including: a portion extendingfrom the portion holding the base storage 24 to face the vehicle frontside; a portion further extending from such a portion to bend toward thevehicle inner side; and an extending end portion still further extendingfrom such a portion to bend toward the vehicle outer side. The extendingend portion is provided with a bolt fastening hole for the vehicle bodymember and is bolt-fastened together with the base attachment portion 21a.

A portion of the back wall portion 30 a overlapped with the baseattachment portion 21 a extends from the base attachment portion 21 atoward the base storage 24, substantially to the center position betweenthe base attachment portion 21 a and the base storage 24. Note thatflange portions protruding toward the vehicle front side are formed atboth end portions in the vehicle width direction of the extendingportion of the back wall portion 30 a. Thus, rigidity of the retainermember can be ensured, and rigidity of attachment to the base attachmentportion 21 a can be improved. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the back wallportion 30 a further includes a protrusion 39 provided at an upperportion of the back wall portion 30 a so as to face the inflator 11 andprotrude toward the vehicle back side.

As illustrated in FIG. 3, the outer wall portion 30 b is provided with acut portion 31 which is formed at a portion facing the cut portion 25 ofthe base member 20 and which can support a portion of the harness 40. Asillustrated in FIG. 4, the inner wall portion 30 c includes: two webbingholding portions 32 which protrude with a predetermined spacing in theup-to-down direction and which are configured to hold the webbing lockportions 27 locking the webbing 70; two retainer holes 33 which areformed with a predetermined spacing in the up-to-down direction, whichare arranged between the two webbing holding portions 32, and into whichthe assembly shafts 13 of the inflator 11 can be respectively inserted;slits 33 a which are continuous cuts from the retainer holes 33 towardthe vehicle front side and into which the assembly shafts 13 can berespectively inserted; and fitting recesses 34 which are formed to berecessed toward the inflator 11 respectively at peripheral edge portionsof the retainer holes 33 and into which assembly members 35 can berespectively fitted.

As illustrated in FIG. 4, each webbing holding portion 32 having asubstantially L-shape in cross section is formed such that a portion ofthe inner wall portion 30 c bends toward the vehicle inner side. Eachwebbing holding portion 32 is provided with a bead, corresponding to areinforcement portion, so as to be located on one surface opposite fromthe other surface to which the webbing 70 is to be attached. Thus,support rigidity of the webbing holding portion 32 is improved. Notethat in addition to a bead shape, a stepped shape or the like may beapplied as the reinforcement portion.

The retainer hole 33 and the base hole 28 are arranged to communicatewith each other in a state where the retainer member 30 and the basestorage 24 are attached to each other. Specifically, each fitting recess34 of the retainer member 30 is fitted to a corresponding one of thebase holes 28, and in this manner, the retainer member 30 and the basestorage 24 are attached to each other. Each fitting recess 34 isnarrowed in a tapered shape from an opening toward a bottom portion,therefore being easily fitted to a corresponding one of the base holes28.

In the above-described configuration, each assembly shaft 13 of theinflator 11 is, as illustrated in FIG. 5, inserted into a correspondingone of the base holes 28 and a corresponding one of the retainer holes33, and the inserted end portion is attached to a corresponding one ofthe assembly members 35 corresponding to attachment nuts. Thus, theinflator 11, and the base member 20, and the retainer member 30 arefixed together. When each assembly member 35 is attached to acorresponding one of the assembly shafts 13, the assembly member 35 isfitted and housed in a corresponding one of the fitting recesses 34 ofthe retainer member 30, therefore being compactly arranged.

Moreover, in the above-described configuration, the slits 28 a areformed at the base storage 24 as illustrated in FIG. 4. Thus, in storingthe inflator 11 in the base storage 24, a portion of each assembly shaft13 of the inflator 11 can be inserted into a corresponding one of theslits 28 a with the assembly shaft 13 being inclined, and then, theassembly shaft 13 can be inserted while the inflator 11 is being furtherrotated. As a result, contact between each assembly shaft 13 and thebase storage 24 can be inhibited, and therefore, the process of storingthe inflator 11 is facilitated.

Further, in the above-described configuration, the slits 33 a are formedat the retainer member 30 as illustrated in FIG. 5. Thus, when theretainer member 30 is attached to a back surface of the base storage 24,contact between the retainer member 30 and each assembly shaft 13 of theinflator 11 exposed through a corresponding one of the base holes 28 ofthe base storage 24 can be inhibited, and therefore, the process ofattaching the retainer member 30 is facilitated.

As illustrated in FIGS. 6 and 7, the protrusion 39 having asubstantially cuboid shape is formed such that a portion of the backwall portion 30 a is recessed toward the vehicle back side. Theprotrusion 39 is disposed with a predetermined spacing from a vehiclebody member 38 located on the vehicle back side. The protrusion 39 is,in the up-to-down direction, disposed between an upper end of anassembly shaft 13 a of the inflator 11 and a lower end of an assemblyshaft 13 b of the inflator 11. Further, the protrusion 39 is, in theup-to-down direction, disposed between webbing lock portions 27 a, 27 bprovided at the base storage 24.

As illustrated in FIG. 8, the protrusion 39 is disposed in contact withthe vehicle body member 38 in the vehicle front-to-back direction whenthe air bag 10 expands and deploys, and the protrusion 39 serves as amember configured to restrict tilting of the retainer member 30 towardthe vehicle back side. Specifically, when the air bag 10 expands anddeploys, a planar portion of the protrusion 39 on the vehicle back sideserves as a load receiving surface for the vehicle body member 38 asillustrated in FIG. 6, therefore making contact with a planar surface ofthe vehicle body member 38 on the vehicle front side.

In the above-described configuration, before the air bag 10 expands anddeploys, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the protrusion 39 is provided with aspacing so as not to make contact with the protrusion 39. Thus, indriving of a vehicle, contact noises between the vehicle body and theside air bag device S can be reduced.

Moreover, in the above-described configuration, the protrusion 39 is, inthe up-to-down direction, disposed between the assembly shaft 13 a andthe assembly shaft 13 b of the inflator 11. Specifically, the protrusion39 is arranged at a position corresponding substantially to the centerportion of the inflator 11 in the up-to-down direction. Thus, theretainer member 30 can efficiently receive reactive force generated whenthe air bag 10 expands and deploys toward the vehicle front side. Notethat the protrusion 39 improves rigidity of the periphery of theprotrusion 39 of the retainer member 30, in some embodiments.

Further, in the above-described configuration, the load receivingsurface of the protrusion 39 for the vehicle body member 38 is formed ina planar shape so as to conform to the shape of the contact surface ofthe vehicle body member 38. Thus, the load receiving surface optimal forthe vehicle body member 38 at the time of expansion and deployment ofthe air bag can be provided at the retainer member 30.

In addition, in the above-described configuration, the retainer member30 is, as illustrated in FIG. 2, provided so that an upper end of theprotrusion 39 can contact the vehicle body member 38 and so that a lowerend of the protrusion 39 is attached to the vehicle body member(not-shown). Thus, rigidity of attachment to the vehicle body is furtherimproved.

The harness 40 is a wire harness configured to supply ignition electricpower to the inflator 11. The harness 40 is formed such that a pluralityof electrical wires is bundled by a corrugated tube and a coupler isattached to each end portion of the bundled wire. As illustrated in FIG.3, an upper end portion 41 of the harness 40 is connected to the harnessconnection portion 12 located at the upper end portion of the inflator11, and a lower end portion 42 of the harness 40 is connected to thevehicle battery disposed below the feet of the seated passenger on thevehicle body. The harness 40 extends to be elongated in the up-to-downdirection.

The harness 40 extends across over along the up-to-down direction whilebeing supported by the base member 20 and the retainer member 30.Specifically, as illustrated in FIG. 3, the harness 40 extends outwardin the vehicle width direction from the upper end portion 41 connectedto the harness connection portion 12 of the inflator 11, and the harness40 is supported with the upper end portion thereof being attached to thecut portion 25 of the base storage 24 and to the cut portion 31 of theretainer member 30. In this state, the corrugated tube is wound aroundthe harness 40 and thereby a raised-recessed shape is formed on an outersurface of the harness 40. The harness 40 is hooked on the cut portions25, 31, therefore being positioned and supported thereat.

The harness 40 bends while extending downward from the hooked upper endportion thereof. Moreover, a center portion of the harness 40 in theup-to-down direction is supported along the outer wall portion 30 b ofthe retainer member 30. Then, the harness 40 extends downward from thecenter portion thereof such that the lower end portion 42 is connectedto the vehicle battery provided on the vehicle body.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the pad member 50, formed by a cushionmaterial placed between the base member 20 and the skin material 60, isdisposed over the entire surface of the base member 20 on the vehiclefront side. Note that the pad member 50 is fixed to a pad attachmentportion (not-shown) provided at the base member 20, thereby beingcoupled to the base member 20. A portion of the pad member 50 facing thebase storage 24, specifically, a portion of the base storage 24 facingthe outer wall portion 24 b, is provided with a pad opening 51penetrating in the vehicle front-to-back direction.

The pad member 50 integrally includes: an outer pad member 50 a disposedon the vehicle outer side with respect to the pad opening 51; and aninner pad member 50 b disposed on the vehicle inner side with respect tothe pad opening 51. The pad opening 51 is an opening elongated in theup-to-down direction, and the webbing 70 is inserted into the padopening 51 from the skin material 60 toward the base member 20. The padopening 51 is, in the vehicle width direction, positioned on theopposite side of the webbing lock portions 27 with respect to the airbag 10.

In the above-described configuration, when the air bag 10 expands anddeploys as illustrated in FIG. 8, the pad member 50 unfolds to beseparated from the pad opening 51 as a separation point into the outerpad member 50 a and the inner pad member 50 b in the vehicle widthdirection. In this state, the air bag 10 is guided by the webbing 70 inthe expansion direction; therefore the air bag 10 can suitably deploywithout scattering of a portion of the pad member 50 located on thevehicle front side of the base storage 24. Specifically, the outer padmember 50 a is provided substantially so as not to move from apredetermined position after expansion and deployment of the air bag 10;meanwhile, a portion of the inner pad member 50 b unfolds toward thevehicle front side together with the webbing 70.

As illustrated in FIG. 7, the skin material 60 includes a memberconfigured to cover the base member 20 and the pad member 50 from thevehicle front side. At a position corresponding substantially to thecenter portion of the base storage 24, substantially at the centerportion of the skin material 60 in the vehicle width direction, a skinbreakable portion 61 as a portion to be broken at the time of expansionand deployment of the air bag 10 is formed. The skin material 60includes: an outer skin material 62 having one end portion coupled tothe position of the skin breakable portion 61 and disposed on thevehicle outer side with respect to the skin breakable portion 61; and aninner skin material 63 having one end portion coupled to the position ofthe skin breakable portion 61 and disposed on the vehicle inner sidewith respect to the skin breakable portion 61.

The other end portion 62 a of the outer skin material 62 on the vehicleouter side is locked to the lock claws 22 a of the base outer wallportion 22 so as to extend in the up-to-down direction, and the otherend portion 63 a of the inner skin material 63 is inserted into theinsertion groove 23 a of the base inner wall portion 23. Specifically,the other end portion 62 a of the outer skin material 62 is providedwith lock holes formed in the up-to-down direction for locking to thelock claws 22 a, and a resin trim strip for insertion into the insertiongroove 23 a is sewn to the other end portion 63 a of the inner skinmaterial 63.

In the above-described configuration, when the air bag 10 expands anddeploys as illustrated in FIG. 8, the skin material 60 unfolds so as tobe separated from the skin breakable portion 61 as a separation pointinto the outer skin material 62 and the inner skin material 63. The skinbreakable portion 61 is positioned so as to overlap the air bag 10 inthe vehicle width direction.

The webbing 70 includes a fabric member configured to guide the air bag10 in the expansion and deployment direction toward the vehicle frontside. As illustrated in FIG. 7, one end portion 71 of the webbing 70 isattached to the skin breakable portion 61 of the skin material 60. Thewebbing 70 extends from the one end portion 71 to cover the pad member50, and the other end portion 72 of the webbing 70 is locked at thewebbing lock portions 27 of the base member 20.

Specifically, the webbing 70 extends from the one end portion 71 sewn tothe skin breakable portion 61 of the inner skin material 63, along afront surface of the inner pad member 50 b, toward the vehicle outerside, and subsequently reaches a portion facing the pad opening 51.Then, the webbing 70 extends through the pad opening 51 along a vehicleouter surface and a back surface of the inner pad member 50 b, andsubsequently reaches a webbing insertion hole 29 provided at the innerwall portion 24 c of the base storage 24. In this state, the webbing 70extends to pass between the pad member 50 and the air bag 10 in thevehicle front-to-back direction.

Then, the webbing 70 extends to the webbing lock portions 27 through thewebbing insertion hole provided at the base storage 24, and the webbing70 is subsequently locked to the webbing lock portions 27. In thisstate, a resin trim strip for locking to the webbing lock portions 27 issewn to the other end portion 72 of the webbing 70.

In the above-described configuration, when the air bag 10 expands anddeploys as illustrated in FIG. 8, the webbing 70 guides the air bag 10in the expansion direction toward the skin breakable portion 61 of theskin material 60. Moreover, the one end portion 71 of the webbing 70 isdeployed together with the inner pad member 50 b and the inner skinmaterial 63 toward the front side in the vehicle front-to-backdirection, and also deployed toward the vehicle inner side in thevehicle width direction.

Moreover, in the above-described configuration, as illustrated in FIGS.7 and 8, the retainer member 30 holding the air bag 10 and the inflator11 from the vehicle back side is disposed such that the vehicle bodymember 38 on the vehicle back side of the retainer member 30 makescontacts with the retainer member 30 and supports the retainer member30. Thus, support rigidity of the retainer member 30 for the basestorage 24 is improved, and therefore, deformation of the periphery ofthe base storage 24 can be inhibited when the air bag 10 expands anddeploys. Accordingly, the air bag 10 can stably deploy in the expansionand deployment direction.

Next, a second embodiment of the side air bag device S is described inaccordance with FIG. 9. Note that the contents overlapping with those ofthe above-described side air bag device S will not be described. Theconfiguration of the side air bag device S of the second embodiment isdifferent from that of the first embodiment in that a harness 140 issupported in the up-to-down direction while being surrounded by ahousing recess 126 formed at a base storage 124 and by a retainer member130.

As illustrated in FIG. 9, the base storage 124 includes a back wallportion 124 a, outer and inner wall portions 124 b, 124 c that extendfrom the back wall portion 124 a toward the vehicle front side, and asecond inner wall portion 124 d provided at the inner wall portion 124 cand disposed on the vehicle inner side from webbing lock portions 127 toextend toward the vehicle back side. The second inner wall portion 124 dincludes a reinforcement rib integrally provided at the base storage124, and the second inner wall portion 124 d and the inner wall portion124 c form the housing recess 126 having a substantially U-shape incross section. The housing recess 126 is formed to be recessed towardthe vehicle front side, toward the opposite side from the retainermember 130, and the housing recess 126 is formed to house the harness140 in the up-to-down direction.

The retainer member 130 includes a back wall portion 130 a, outer andinner wall portions 130 b, 130 c that extend from the back wall portion130 a toward the vehicle front side, and a second inner wall portion 130d provided at the back wall portion 130 a and disposed on the vehicleinner side from the inner wall portion 130 c to extend toward thevehicle front side. The second inner wall portion 130 d is disposed onthe vehicle inner side from the second inner wall portion 124 d of abase member 120, and the back wall portion 130 a and the inner wallportion 130 c hold the second inner wall portion 124 d so as to sandwichthe second inner wall portion 124 d therebetween.

The harness 140 is supported in a state where a center portion thereofin the up-to-down direction is surrounded by the housing recess 126 ofthe base storage 124 and the second inner wall portion 130 d of theretainer member 130. In other words, the harness 140 is supported in astate where the center portion of the harness 140 in the up-to-downdirection is surrounded by a housing portion formed by the back wallportion 130 a, the inner wall portion 130 c, and the second inner wallportion 130 d of the retainer member 130 and by the second inner wallportion 124 d of the base storage 124.

In the above-described configuration, the harness 140 and the webbinglock portions 127 are attached to the inner wall portion 124 c of thebase storage 124, whereas the assembly shafts 13 of the inflator 11 areassembled to the outer wall portion 124 b. The harness 140 and thewebbing lock portions 127 are arranged at different positions in thevehicle front-to-back direction. Thus, contact among these componentscan be inhibited, therefore increasing efficiency in the assemblingprocess.

Moreover, in the above-described configuration, the webbing lockportions 127 are supported while being sandwiched between the inner wallportion 124 c and the second inner wall portion 124 d in the vehiclewidth direction, therefore improving support rigidity of the webbinglock portion 127.

Next, a third embodiment of the side air bag device S is described inaccordance with FIG. 10. The configuration of the side air bag device Sof the third embodiment is different from those of the foregoingembodiments in that a harness 240 is supported in the up-to-downdirection while being sandwiched between an outer wall portion 224 b ofa base storage 224 and a retainer member 230.

As illustrated in FIG. 10, the base storage 224 includes the outer wallportion 224 b, an inner wall portion 224 c, and a second outer wallportion 224 d provided on the vehicle outer side from the outer wallportion 224 b and extending toward the vehicle back side. The secondouter wall portion 224 d includes a reinforcement rib integrallyprovided at the base storage 224 and ensures the thickness of the outerwall portion 224 b.

The retainer member 230 includes a back wall portion 230 a, outer andinner wall portions 230 b, 230 c that extend from the back wall portion230 a toward the vehicle front side, a second back wall portion 230 dthat extends from the outer wall portion 230 b toward the vehicle outerside, and a second outer wall portion 230 e that extends from the secondback wall portion 230 d toward the vehicle front side. The second backwall portion 230 d and the second outer wall portion 230 e extend alonga back surface of the base storage 224.

The harness 240 is supported in a state where a center portion thereofin the up-to-down direction is surrounded by the outer wall portion 224b and the second outer wall portion 224 d of the base storage 224 and bythe second back wall portion 230 d and the second outer wall portion 230e of the retainer member 230.

In the above-described configuration, the harness 240 and the assemblyshafts 13 of the inflator 11 are attached to the outer wall portion 224b of the base storage 224, whereas webbing lock portions 227 areassembled to the inner wall portion 224 c. The harness 240 and theassembly shafts 13 are arranged at different positions in the vehiclefront-to-back direction. Thus, contact among these components can bereduced, leading to an efficient assembly process.

Next, a fourth embodiment of the side air bag device S is described inaccordance with FIG. 11. The configuration of the side air bag device Sof the fourth embodiment is different from those of the foregoingembodiments in that a harness 340 is supported in the up-to-downdirection while being sandwiched between the skin material 60 and eachlock claw 322 a provided at a base outer wall portion 322 of a basemember 320.

The harness 340 is supported in the up-to-down direction in a statewhere a center portion thereof in the up-to-down direction is housed inan internal space formed by the skin material 60 and a lock recessprovided behind the lock claw 322 a. Specifically, the lock recessprovided at the lock claw 322 a is formed by cutting the lock claw fromthe vehicle back side toward the vehicle front side, and avehicle-outer-side end portion of the skin material 60 is provided witha through-hole (not-shown) into which the harness 340 can be inserted.

In the above-described configuration, the harness 340 is attached to avehicle-outer-side end portion of the base member 320, and the assemblyshafts 13 of the inflator 11 are attached to an outer wall portion 324 bof a base storage 324. Moreover, webbing lock portions 327 are assembledto an inner wall portion 324 c. Thus, contact among these components canbe inhibited, therefore increasing efficiency in the assembling process.

Next, a fifth embodiment of the side air bag device S is described inaccordance with FIG. 12. The configuration of the side air bag device Sof the fifth embodiment is different compared with the first embodimentof FIG. 7, in that a retainer member 330 has a U-shape in cross sectionand in that a webbing holding portion 332 is formed without bending aportion of an inner wall portion 330 c.

Specifically, the inner wall portion 330 c extends in a substantiallylinear shape from a vehicle-inner-side end portion of a back wallportion 330 a toward the vehicle front side, and the extending endportion of the inner wall portion 330 c serves as the webbing holdingportion 332 to cover and hold the webbing lock portions 27. Thus, ascompared to the first embodiment of FIG. 7, the area where the retainermember 330 protects the base storage 24 is large, and impact applied atthe time of expansion and deployment of the air bag 10 can be moreefficiently received.

In the above-described embodiments, in the side air bag device S, asillustrated in FIG. 2 or FIG. 3, the base attachment portion 21 a of thebase member 20 and the extending end portion of the back wall portion 30a of the retainer member 30 are attached to the vehicle body member(not-shown) while being overlapped with each other. In this state, thebase attachment portion 21 a and the extending end portion of the backwall portion 30 a are attached to each other by one bolt to the vehiclebody member in a state where the bolt fastening hole provided at thebase attachment portion 21 a and the bolt fastening hole provided at theextending end portion of the back wall portion 30 a are overlapped witheach other so as to be coincident with each other. However, theembodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to thisconfiguration. Alternatively, the bolt fastening holes may be providedat positions separated from each other, and the base attachment portion21 a and the extending end portion of the back wall portion 30 a may befastened to the vehicle body member by separate bolts. Moreover, theembodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to bolt fastening,and any fastening method may be applied as long as the base attachmentportion 21 a and the extending end portion of the back wall portion 30 aare attached to the vehicle body member while being overlapped with eachother.

In the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 5, theassembled portion of the inflator 11 is the assembly shaft 13, and theassembly member 35 is configured as an assembly nut. The embodiments ofthe present disclosure are not limited to such configuration.Alternatively, the assembly nut may be provided at the inflator 11, andthe assembly member 35 may be configured as the assembly shaft, andother known assembly methods may be employed.

In the above-described embodiment, in the base storage 24 of the basemember 20, as illustrated in FIG. 3 or 4, the harness 40 is disposed atthe outer wall portion 24 b, and the webbing 70 and the assembly shafts13 of the inflator 11 are arranged at the inner wall portion 24 c, butnot limited thereto. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIGS. 9 to 11, thearrangement positions may be changed as desired. In addition to theabove, in the base storage 24, the harness 40 may be disposed at theback wall portion 24 a, the assembly shafts 13 of the inflator 11 may bearranged at the outer wall portion 24 b, and the other end portion 72 ofthe webbing 70 may be disposed at the inner wall portion 24 c. With thisconfiguration, contact among these components is inhibited and thus thecomponents can be compactly arranged.

In the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 6, theprotrusion 39 having the substantially cuboid shape is formed integrallywith the retainer member 30, but not limited thereto. Alternatively, theshape of the protrusion 39 may be changed as desired, so as to conformto the shape of the vehicle body member 38. For example, as illustratedin FIG. 13, a protrusion 139 having a substantially columnar shape maybe provided integrally with the retainer member 30. The protrusion 139is formed to have the substantially conical shape, an upper end of whichis cut off along the horizontal plane. With this configuration, a loadreceiving surface of the protrusion 139 for the vehicle body member ismainly arranged at a position corresponding to the center portion of theinflator 11. Thus, the retainer member 30 can efficiently receivereactive force generated at the time of expansion and deployment of theair bag 10.

As another example, illustrated in FIG. 14, a protrusion 239 having ahat-like shape may be provided as a separate member from the retainermember 30. The protrusion 239 includes a front wall portion 239 acoupled to the retainer member 30, right and left side wall portions 239b that extend respectively from both right and left ends of the frontwall portion 239 a toward the vehicle back side, and right and left backwall portions 239 c outwardly extending respectively from the right andleft side wall portions 239 b toward the right and left sides. Theprotrusion 239 may be made of metal in the same way as the retainermember 30 or may be made of elastically deformable resin or rubber. Withthis configuration, the load receiving surface optimal for the shape ofthe vehicle body member can be freely formed regardless of moldingconditions of the retainer member.

In another example, as illustrated in FIG. 15, a protrusion 339elongated in the up-to-down direction and conforming to the shape of theinflator 11 may be provided integrally with the retainer member 30. Theprotrusion 339 includes a load receiving surface having an inclinedsurface conforming to the shape of the vehicle body member (not-shown).As described above, the protrusion 339 is formed to conform to the shapeof the inflator 11 and the shape of the vehicle body member (not-shown);therefore reactive force generated at the time of expansion anddeployment of the air bag 10 can be efficiently received.

In an embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 16, base holes 428 formed at abase storage 424 and used for attachment of the inflator 11 may extendfurther toward the vehicle back side as compared to the base holes 28 ofFIG. 4, so as to subsequently reach a back wall portion 424 a. With thisconfiguration, in the case of attaching a retainer member 430 to thebase storage 424 from the vehicle back side, fitting recesses 434 arefitted into the base holes 428 such that the base holes 428 areelastically deformed. As a result, attachment rigidity of the retainermember 430 is improved, and the process of attaching the retainer member430 is facilitated.

In the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 17, theretainer member 430 may be cut in the middle to be short in theup-to-down direction compared with the retainer member 30 of FIG. 3, anda portion of the retainer member 430 overlapping a base attachmentportion 421 b may remain as a second retainer piece 430 f. With thisconfiguration, the base storage 424 storing at least the air bag 10 andthe inflator 11 can be held while the weight of the side air bag deviceS can be reduced. In addition, when the base attachment portion 421 b isattached to the vehicle body member (not-shown), the second retainermade of metal can be provided in contact with the metal of the vehiclebody member while being arranged between the vehicle body member and thebase attachment portion 421 b. Therefore, the base attachment portion421 b can be further stably attached to the vehicle body. Moreover, avirtual line L1 connecting between an upper base attachment portion 421a and the lower base attachment portion 421 b, which are provided at abase member 420 for attachment to the vehicle body, may be positioned topass at least partially through the inflator 11 and the base storage424. With this configuration, the base member 420 can be suitablysupported on the vehicle body member (not-shown) while receiving areactive force generated at the time of expansion and deployment of theair bag 10. Further, a virtual line L2 connecting between a baseprotrusion 421 c and the lower base attachment portion 421 b, which arefor contact with the vehicle body, may pass at least partially throughthe base storage 424. With this configuration, the base member 420 canbe suitably supported on the vehicle body member while receivingreactive force generated at the time of expansion of the air bag 10.

In the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7, theprotrusion 39 is disposed with the predetermined spacing from thevehicle body member 38. Alternatively, the protrusion 39 may be disposedin advance in contact with the vehicle body member 38.

In the above-described embodiment, at a portion of the back wall portion24 a of the base storage 24 facing the protrusion 39 of the retainermember 30, another protrusion protruding toward the vehicle back sidemay be formed integrally or separately. Such protrusion is preferablyformed so as to conform to the shape of the protrusion 39 of theretainer member 30. With this configuration, rigidity of the peripheryof the base storage 24 can be further improved, and the air bag 10 canfurther stably deploy in the expansion and deployment direction. Inaddition, with this configuration, the position of the retainer member30 during assembly thereof may be more readily determined.

In the above-described embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 7, the webbinglock portions 27 are formed at the inner wall portion 24 c of the basestorage 24, but are not limited thereto. Alternatively, the webbing lockportions 27 may be formed at the outer wall portion 24 b or the backwall portion 24 a of the base storage 24. Preferably, it is desirablethat the webbing lock portions 27 are formed at the base storage 24 soas to be located on the vehicle inner side from the air bag 10 and theinflator 11 in the vehicle width direction. With this configuration, thewebbing 70 allows more stable expansion and deployment of the air bag 10toward the vehicle front side. This is due at least in part to one ormore of the following reasons, in various embodiments. In the vehiclewidth direction of the base storage 24 storing the air bag 10, the outerwall portion 24 b is supported by the vehicle body door 2 a having arelatively-high rigidity, whereas the inner wall portion 24 c issupported by the back seat 1 having a relatively-high elasticity. Thus,the air bag 10 tends to be expanded and deployed toward the back seat 1that has the high elasticity in the vehicle width direction. Thus, thewebbing lock portions 27 are provided at the inner wall portion 24 csuch that the air bag 10 located adjacent to the inner wall portion 24 cis preferentially guided by the webbing 70; therefore the air bag 10 isstably guided in the extension and deployment direction.

In the above-described embodiment, the pad member 50 is formed as anintegral body, but is not limited thereto. Alternatively, for example,the outer pad member 50 a and the inner pad member 50 b may be formed asseparate bodies. Moreover, the pad member 50 may be placed at least onthe vehicle front side from the base storage 24 of the base member 20.In this manner, as long as the pad member 50 is placed at least on thefront side of the base storage 24, a vehicle front-side surface of theside air bag device S may not be partially recessed, and in addition,the side air bag device S can be formed to have a substantially flushouter surface.

In the above-described embodiment, the side air bag device S used forthe automobile back seat is described as a specific example, but is notlimited thereto. Alternatively, the side air bag device S may beutilized for an automobile front seat, vehicle seats of trains, buses,or the like, and passenger seats of airplanes, ships, or the like.

In the above-described embodiments, the side air bag device S of thepresent disclosure is mainly described. The aforementioned embodimentsare merely examples for facilitating understanding of the presentdisclosure, and the embodiments are not intended to restrict theembodiments of the present disclosure. Changes and modifications can bemade to the embodiments without departing from the scope of theinvention, and it will be understood that the present disclosureencompasses equivalents thereof.

TABLE OF REFERENCE NUMERALS

S: side air bag device

1: back seat

-   -   1 a: seat back

2: vehicle body

-   -   2 a: vehicle body door

10: air bag

11: inflator

12: harness connection portion

13, 13 a, 13 b: assembly shaft

20, 320, 420: base member

21: base body

-   -   21 a, 421 a, 421 b: base attachment portion    -   21 d: boss    -   421 c: base protrusion

22, 322: base outer wall portion

-   -   22 a, 322 a: lock claw

23: base inner wall portion

-   -   23 a: insertion groove

24, 124, 224, 324, 424: base storage

-   -   24 a, 124 a, 424 a: back wall portion    -   24 b, 124 b, 224 b, 324 b: outer wall portion    -   24 c, 124 c, 224 c, 324 c: inner wall portion    -   24 e: opening of base member    -   124 d: second inner wall portion    -   224 d: second outer wall portion

25: cut portion

26 a: deep recessed portion

26 b: shallow recessed portion

27, 27 a, 27 b, 127, 227, 327: webbing lock portion

28, 428: base hole

-   -   28 a: slit

29: webbing insertion hole

30, 130, 230, 330, 430: retainer member

-   -   30 a, 130 a, 230 a, 330 a, 430 a: back wall portion    -   30 b, 130 b, 230 b: outer wall portion (side wall portion)    -   30 c, 130 c, 230 c, 330 c: inner wall portion (side wall        portion)    -   30 k: fixing portion    -   130 d: second inner wall portion    -   230 d: second back wall portion    -   230 e: second outer wall portion    -   430 f: second retainer piece

31: cut portion

32, 332: webbing holding portion

33: retainer hole

-   -   33 a: slit

34, 434: fitting recess

35: assembly member

38: vehicle body member

39, 139, 239, 339: protrusion

-   -   39 b: side wall of protrusion    -   239 a: front wall portion    -   239 b: side wall portion    -   239 c: back wall portion

40, 140, 240, 340: harness

41: upper end portion

42: lower end portion

50: pad member

-   -   50 a: outer pad member    -   50 b: inner pad member

51: pad opening

60: skin material

61: skin breakable portion

62: outer skin material

-   -   62 a: other end portion

63: inner skin material

-   -   63 a: other end portion

70: webbing

71: one end portion

72: other end portion

126: housing recess

The invention claimed is:
 1. A side air bag device provided between avehicle body and a back seat, comprising: an expandable air bag; aninflator configured to supply gas into the air bag; a base memberincluding a base storage, configured to store the air bag in a foldedstate and the inflator, the base member being attached between a vehiclebody door and the back seat; and a retainer member configured to holdthe base storage from a vehicle back side; wherein the retainer membercomprises a side wall portion; wherein a length in a front-to-reardirection of the side wall portion of a portion of the retainer memberthat is disposed in a rear of the base storage is larger than a lengthin the front-to-rear direction of the side wall portion of a lowerportion of the retainer member; wherein the side wall portion of theretainer member is disposed at a side of a boss provided in the basemember; wherein the retainer member comprises a fixing portion that isprovided in the lower portion of the retainer member and fixed to thebase member, and a protrusion that is provided on a back wall portion ofthe retainer member and has a side wall.
 2. The side air bag deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein: the retainer member comprises a curvedportion that is concaved so that a frontmost surface of the curvedportion is a bottom surface of a concave shape of the curved portion,and the curved portion of the retainer member is arranged below a centerof the retainer member in an up-to-down direction.
 3. The side air bagdevice according to claim 1, wherein a lower end of the retainer memberis arranged below a lower end of the base member in an up-to-downdirection.
 4. The side air bag device according to claim 1, wherein: theretainer member comprises a curved portion that is concaved so that afrontmost surface of the curved portion is a bottom surface of a concaveshape of the curved portion, and the curved portion of the retainermember covers a part of the base storage from a back side.
 5. The sideair bag device according to claim 4, wherein: the base storage comprisesa deep recessed portion that is recessed toward a vehicle back side anda shallow recessed portion that is less recessed toward the vehicle backside than the deep recessed portion, the retainer member comprises acurved portion that is concaved so that a frontmost surface of thecurved portion is a bottom surface of a concave shape of the curvedportion, and the curved portion of the retainer member overlaps aportion of the shallow recessed portion in the base storage in thefront-to-rear direction.
 6. The side air bag device according to claim1, wherein: an opening is provided on a back side of the base member,the side wall portion of the retainer member is a first side wallportion and the retainer member further comprise a second side wallportion, and the first side wall portion and the second side wallportion are arranged respectively on both sides of the opening.
 7. Aside air bag device provided between a vehicle body and a back seat,comprising: an expandable air bag; an inflator configured to supply gasinto the air bag; a base member including a base storage, configured tostore the air bag in a folded state and the inflator, the base memberbeing attached between a vehicle body door and the back seat; and aretainer member configured to hold the base storage from a vehicle backside; wherein: the retainer member comprises a side wall portion; alength in a front-to-rear direction of the side wall portion of aportion of the retainer member that is disposed in a rear of the basestorage is larger than a length in the front-to-rear direction of theside wall portion of a lower portion of the retainer member; theretainer member is formed from a single member; an opening is providedon a back side of the base member, the side wall portion of the retainermember is a first side wall portion and the retainer member furthercomprise a second side wall portion, and the first side wall portion andthe second side wall portion are arranged respectively on both sides ofthe opening.
 8. The side air bag device according to claim 7, wherein:the retainer member comprises a curved portion that is concaved so thata frontmost surface of the curved portion is a bottom surface of aconcave shape of the curved portion, and the curved portion of theretainer member is arranged below a center of the retainer member in anup-to-down direction.
 9. The side air bag device according to claim 7,wherein a lower end of the retainer member is arranged below a lower endof the base member in an up-to-down direction.
 10. The side air bagdevice according to claim 7, wherein: the retainer member comprises acurved portion that is concaved so that a frontmost surface of thecurved portion is a bottom surface of a concave shape of the curvedportion, and the curved portion of the retainer member covers a part ofthe base storage from a back side.
 11. The side air bag device accordingto claim 7, wherein: the retainer member comprises a curved portion thatis provided in the lower portion of the retainer member and concaved sothat a frontmost surface of the curved portion is a bottom surface of aconcave shape of the curved portion, and the length in the front-to-reardirection of the side wall portion of the portion of the retainer memberthat is disposed in the rear of the base storage is larger than a lengthin the front-to-rear direction of the side wall portion of the curvedportion of the retainer member.
 12. The side air bag device according toclaim 7, wherein: the retainer member comprises a fixing portion that isprovided in the lower portion of the retainer member and fixed to thebase member, and the length in the front-to-rear direction of the sidewall portion of the portion of the retainer member that is disposed inthe rear of the base storage is larger than a length in thefront-to-rear direction of the side wall portion of the fixing portionof the retainer member.
 13. The side air bag device according to claim7, wherein: the retainer member comprises a fixing portion that isprovided in the lower portion of the retainer member and fixed to thebase member, and a protrusion that is provided on a back wall portion ofthe retainer member and has a side wall, and a length in thefront-to-rear direction of the side wall of the protrusion is largerthan a length in the front-to-rear direction of the side wall portion ofthe fixing portion of the retainer member.
 14. The side air bag deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein: the base storage comprises a deeprecessed portion that is recessed toward a vehicle back side and ashallow recessed portion that is less recessed toward the vehicle backside than the deep recessed portion, the retainer member comprises acurved portion that is concaved so that a frontmost surface of thecurved portion is a bottom surface of a concave shape of the curvedportion, and the curved portion of the retainer member overlaps aportion of the shallow recessed portion in the base storage in thefront-to-rear direction.
 15. A side air bag device provided between avehicle body and a back seat, comprising: an expandable air bag; aninflator configured to supply gas into the air bag; a base memberincluding a base storage, configured to store the air bag in a foldedstate and the inflator, the base member being attached between a vehiclebody door and the back seat; and a retainer member configured to holdthe base storage from a vehicle back side; wherein: the retainer membercomprises a side wall portion; a length in a front-to-rear direction ofthe side wall portion of a portion of the retainer member that isdisposed in a rear of the base storage is larger than a length in thefront-to-rear direction of the side wall portion of a lower portion ofthe retainer member; and the side air bag device is configured to bearranged at a side of a seat back of the back seat; wherein: the basestorage comprises a deep recessed portion that is recessed toward avehicle back side and a shallow recessed portion that is less recessedtoward the vehicle back side than the deep recessed portion, theretainer member comprises a curved portion that is concaved so that afrontmost surface of the curved portion is a bottom surface of a concaveshape of the curved portion, and the curved portion of the retainermember overlaps a portion of the shallow recessed portion in the basestorage in the front-to-rear direction.
 16. The side air bag deviceaccording to claim 15, wherein: the retainer member comprises a curvedportion that is provided in the lower portion of the retainer member andconcaved so that a frontmost surface of the curved portion is a bottomsurface of a concave shape of the curved portion, and the length in thefront-to-rear direction of the side wall portion of the portion of theretainer member that is disposed in the rear of the base storage islarger than a length in the front-to-rear direction of the side wallportion of the curved portion of the retainer member.
 17. The side airbag device according to claim 15, wherein: the retainer member comprisesa fixing portion that is provided in the lower portion of the retainermember and fixed to the base member, and the length in the front-to-reardirection of the side wall portion of the portion of the retainer memberthat is disposed in the rear of the base storage is larger than a lengthin the front-to-rear direction of the side wall portion of the fixingportion of the retainer member.
 18. The side air bag device according toclaim 15, wherein: the retainer member comprises a fixing portion thatis provided in the lower portion of the retainer member and fixed to thebase member, and a protrusion that is provided on a back wall portion ofthe retainer member and has a side wall, and a length in thefront-to-rear direction of the side wall of the protrusion is largerthan a length in the front-to-rear direction of the side wall portion ofthe fixing portion of the retainer member.
 19. The side air bag deviceaccording to claim 15, wherein: an opening is provided on a back side ofthe base member, the side wall portion of the retainer member is a firstside wall portion and the retainer member further comprise a second sidewall portion, and the first side wall portion and the second side wallportion are arranged respectively on both sides of the opening.
 20. Theside air bag device according to claim 15, wherein a lower end of theretainer member is arranged below a lower end of the base member in anup-to-down direction.